Hot metal mixer



July 21, 1931. L, E, ALLEN 1,815,605

HOT METAL MIXER 7 Filed June 16. 19211 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 21, 1931.L. E. ALLEN Y HOT METAL MIXER Filed Jime 16. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 July'21, 1931. E. ALLEN ,605

' no'r METAL MIXER Figled June 16. 1928 5 Sheets-She 5 u u j NVENTORPatented Jul 21, 1931 i ema ns is?!" me PATENT mam 1 LEE E,.AI' I1EN, OFNEW .GASTLE, :PIENNSXLVANIA, ASSIGNOR IEO .ZPENNSYLVANIAWEN VeINEERrNe'wonKs, m1 -mew CitSTLE,.-PENNSYLXEAHIA,.A .oersenmmon or PENN-This *inventien relates-to the menu'iature of iron m1 steel, and morepartieiilerly to a hot =metzil mixer ecl-aptecl 'to' receive and -"re'teinhot metal'inwnioiten'eontlition. The present inventionrelates'partieularly to emixer of unusuellly largeeapaeity and whiehisdesigned-especi ailiy for the purpose "of receivinj metal from oneorun'oreblest fifiurnaees'fluring the' time whenkthe 'niill its "avvho'le is *not ao perating but when *the lilest "furnaces areoperating, sue'h for instaneefess auling-the Weekend shut down of themill. Suh e mixer must'fbe capable of receiving an'tl maihtaining maalnolten =c0niiitien several hundredtons o'f meteLthe'particularinstillation lrerindfterdkescrihetl in Hetaili hein'g' designed tohdldesniuc'h fffteenYhuntireil tonsof metziha'tonetime. l According to thepresent invention there -is provided a "mixer designed to IGCEiY'Q andTetrain a 'ler'ge amount er -metzil with -"the re- =eeiving 5 andpouring spouts -so mien euas to secure thorough mixing of the metzilen'd prevent tothe greatest possihl'e extent; stagnation at enypointi'n' the mixer. 1

A further purpose -01 the inventionis"to providee mi-Xer oflargecapaeity Wvlii'h is firmly braced and 'tvhih 'mey he "easily andconveniently-operated. V y

'Aecor cling" to the gpresent invention there is also provided mixer "oflarge eapaeity wherein the lining for the mixer eanahe conveniently andeasily repaired, or wherein "the lining ean be removed we e relativelysmall amount oflzihor.

These and other Objects and eclventages 'ere'seoured "by irry invention,which may be readily understood by re'ferenee *to the "ae- "eompanyingdrawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention and :in WhiehFigure 1 is a side elevation :0' 'f e nii-xer, 7

"part of the 'strutiture "being shown in vertiezil section; I V V Figure2 is a top plan =v1ew'of the mixer;

Figure is a 'sia-ggere'cl "transverse sec- (J tionin the plme of 'lineEH- I-H oit' Tig- 'ure"2; v V

Figure4 is-e detail*viewshowing theeover 0'1 one of'the'receiving spoutsm d -thespian '"ating 'mehanism 'for the cover;

1928. Serial 'No. 385,836.

Figure is 1 atleteiil view of a portion or the shll of t'lre'mixer zitone en cl theredfg Figure 6 is a more or less sehenmiticwievv showingtop elevution of the lubricating system for the ti mixer a n'd Figure 7ish detail section-e11 view throug'h shell eoritinues to be cylindricalto 1% point Well above the center line 'thereef 'it being cylindricaleleer to thetop theredf vtheretthe eskevv fbacks 58 are located. TheenH's 9'of the shell 'areoutwer'dlybowetl'.

order toeouriterac'tthe very heavyiloalis to -vrhih the shellis suhjeetetl, it 'isaof heavy construction; "It "is rein foree l withbuttstraps 10 "on ljOtlitllQfSfClGS and fthe ends thereof. Thebuttstreps on the hylindriezil fportion are staggeredor:iltern-atetl'viith'r f- 'erence to'those on-the 's fiherical enilsyasbest shown in Figure 15, anclare extended. arouhti the corners foraitl'ditiondl reinforcement off the 'eonneetion T between the ends andthe eylin drieall'porti'omdi' the mixer.

The liriing o fthejmixer is substantially senii irculgrr to the centerline of-the mixer. This lining isdesignete'd 12, AbOVQEtllB center'lineof the mixer, Which is justrhlowzthe metal line 'AiAin EigL1re3,fthesides slope outwardly to-e veryslightextent tothe point vsihere thesides intersect Withth? roof. This *des'ign is -of e tlvantage in that-.there is'no overhanging brielki "which may fall intothe mixer in theevent that-"the liningis-cutheiek' at the-metalline. This outivartlsloping is also *mere stable whellithemixei' is tilted *for pouring. Theliriin is of" suhstantizilly uriiform'thickness exeeptfinihe bottom'o'f-t'he mixer "tlire'etly -unEler the eharging openings,

are made relatively thicker, as indicated at 13 in Figures 1 and 3 forthe purpose of resisting the erosive action of the hot metal where it ispoured into the mixer.

Supported over the top of the mixer is a relatively low fiattransversely arched roof 14. This roof is supported along each edge ofthe cylindrical portion of the mixer on skew blocks The skew blocks 15set on angle bars 16 secured to the inside of the shell. lVith thisarrangement the entire weight of th roof is supported on the angles 16,and not on the lining 12. This is an important feature of theconstruction because it makes the roof entirely independent of thelining, and even though the lining becomes badly eroded there is nodanger of the roof falling into the mixer.

The shell of the mixer is encircled by a plurality of spaced apartcurved beams or rails 17 that cage the rollers 6 on the 10Cler frames 5.1 he tops of the rails 17 are'connected together by arched beams 18which serve to hold the top of the mixer from spreading. Due to thefactthat the arch of the roof is relatively wide. and relatively flat, roofties 19 are'preferahly stretched transversely across the top of thestructur and the e can be put under ten ion by taking up on theeye-bolts 20 at the ends thereof, these eyebolts being secured tocastings mounted on the skew backs 8. These roof ties place the archunder a strain, and there is no possibility of the stresses beingreversed when the ladle is tilted for pouring.

In the top 14 at one side of the longitudi nal center of the ladle aretwo charging openings 21. One opening is adjacent each end of the mixer,and the mixer itself is proided with a single pouring spout which is atsubstantially the center of the mixer. The charging openings are formedof heavy steel castings 23 rigidly tied to the adjacent cross beams 18,the castings serving to connect the cross beams, as clearly shown inFigure 2. Set into each of the castings 23 a cast thiinble or ring 24having a separate lining 25 therein, as best shown. in Figure 4.

By reason of this arrangement the lining at the top of each hole can bequickly replaced when necessary by merely replacing one ring 24 withanother rin having a fresh lining 25.

In addition to being tied togetherby castings 23 the roof securelybraced and the various members 18 tied together by structural braces 26and by straps 27, as best shown in Figure 2. This bracing iscomparat-ively open so as to allow for suficieut radiation of heattherefrom to protect the refractories of the roof. Each of the chargingholes is provided with a cast cover 28 so mounted, as. hereinafterdescribed. that it can be swung entirely free of the char; ig opening.Each cover has a lining 2.) therein.

upon the link 37 pushes the cover down.

The construction of the cover and the operation thereof may be bestunderstood by reference to Figure 4. The cover 28 has a lug 3O thereonto which the end of a supporting arm 31 is pivotally secured by a pin32. On the opposite side of the cover is a similar lug 33 having a shortslot 34 therein, and a pin 35 on the arm engages in this slot. The arm31 is pivotally mounted on the casting 23 at 36, and the arm is curvedto be clear of the cover 28. When the arm 31 is swung upwardly, to thedotted line position shown in Figure 4, the cover'28 is positioned wellback of the charging hole and is entirely clear of the hole. Thispermits metal to be easily poured into the charging hole without thepouring operation being interfered with by the cover. Covers asheretofore constructed have interfered more or less with the charging ofthe mixer.

For actuating the cover there is provided a link 37. One end of thislink is pivotally connected at 38 with the arm 31 between the lugs 30and 33. The connection between the link 37 and the arm 31 at 38 ispreferably one which permits of a slight lost motion between the linkand the cover. The other end of the link 37 has a bifurcated end portion39 engaging a bearing block 39 on a crank 40 at the end of a crank arm41. Shims may be provided at each side of the bearing block 39 as shownto permit of a slight adjustment of the link 37 longitudinallyrelatively to the crank pin 40. The crank arm 41 is keyed to a shaft 42mounted on the top of the mixer.

The shaft 42 is driven from a reversible mo tor 43 through a reducinggear 44, as shown in Figure 2.

When the mot-or 43 is operated with the parts in the full line positionshown in Figure 4, the shaft 42 is rotated through an arc to swing thecrank arm 41, as indicated by the broken lines in Figure 4. As the crankarm 41 swings, it pulls the link 37 to the right, as viewed in Figure 4,swinging the cover to the open position shown. Due to the slight lostmotion between the link and the cover at 38 the dead center relation ofthe shaft 42, the crank pin 40 and the connection 38 can be overcome.

For closing the charging hole the motor 43 is driven in the oppositedirection where- Due to the fact that the cover 28 has a floatingconnection on the arm 31 due to the pivot 32 and the pin and slotarrangement 34-35, the cover can adjust itself to any irregularity onthe surface of the link 25 without damage to the parts.

It will. be noted that the cover and all of its operating mechanism ismounted directly on the mixer, and the operation for both opening andclosing each cover is positive. Door operating mechanisms as heretoforeprovided have generally required the use of cables atface for radiatingheat absorbed from the combustion of fuel to the metal. The mixer istherefore highly eificient in enabling the large body of metal thereinto be kept at the desired temperature.

The top of the mixer and the parts supported thereon are entirelyindependent of the body of the mixer so that when it is necezsary torelinethe mixer the entire top can be lifted with cranes withoutbreaking the refractories in the top of the mixer. Due to the outwardslope of the refractory walls above the line AA, the refractories can bebroken into large pieces and removed with comparative ease after the topof the mixer has been removed, which is not the case with the usualmixer, of the fully cylindrical mixer.

The spherical shape of the ends throws the refractories in the ends incompression in every direction so that the ends of the mixer are strongand well able to resist the pressure to which they are subjected.

The removable rings in the charging holes enable the refractories aroundthe charging holes to be kept in a good state of repair notwithstandingthe fact that they are frequently subjected to the erosive action of hotmetal poured directly thereon and notwithstanding the fact that metalwill freeze thereon.

The arrangement of the doors whereby they may adjust themselves toirregularities at the surface of the charging holes, and the novelarrangement of the doors and the operating mechanism therefor is ofconsiderable advantage as hereinbefore pointed out.

Certain features of the ladle construction are claimed in my respectivecopending applications Serial Nos. 384,389 and 384,390, filed August 8,1929, each of which is a division of this application.

lVhile I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that this is merely by way ofillustration and that various changes and modifications may be made inthe construction shown within the contemplation of my invention andunder the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a hot metal mixer, a ladle supported for tipping, having a bodyportion comprised of a metal shell. and a refractory lining, the bodyportion of the ladle being substantially semi-circular in transversecross section throughout the entire length of the mixer be low thelongitudinal axis thereof, and an arched top supported on the top of theshell independently of the lining, said shell having supporting means onthe inside thereof on which the top is supported, said supporting meansbeing set back suliiciently to enable the lining to be lifted clearthereof.

2. In a hot metal mixer, a ladle supported for tipping having anelongated body portion comprised of a metal shell and a refractorylining, the body portion being substantially semi-circular in transversecross section throughout the length of the mixer below the longitudinalaxis thereof, the shell and the lining extending below the plane of thelongitudinal axis of the mixer, the inner face of the lining above theplane of the longitudinal axis being substantially straight, and a coversupported on the shell along each longitudinal edge thereof, said shellhaving supporting means on the inside thereof on which the top issupported, said supporting means being set back sufficiently to enablethe lining to be lifted clear thereof.

3. In a hot metal mixer, a ladle supported for tipping having anelongated body portion comprised of a shell and a lining, said bodyportion being substantially semi-circular in transverse cross sectionbelow the longitudinal axis thereof, the sides of the ladle extending arelatively short distance above the plane of the longitudinal axis,these portions of the sides being sufliciently straight, coversupporting means on the inside of the shell adjacent the upperlongitudinal edges thereof and set back suliiciently to be clear of thelining, and an arched top supported substantially entirely on said coversupporting means.

4. In a hot metal mixer, a ladle supported for tipping comprised of ashell and a lining, the body of the ladle being elongated with theportion thereof below the longitudinal axis thereof substantiallysemi-circular, a cover over the top of the body, rails encircling theshell at intervals along the body, beams over the cover connecting theends of the rails, rockers engaging the rails, the cover being archedand being supported on the upper edges of the shell, and roof tiesextending across the top for placing the cover under strain.

5. In a hot metal mixer, a ladle supported for tipping comprised of ashell and a lining, said ladle having an elongated body portion which issubstantially semi-circular in cross section below the longitudinal axisthereof, ails encircling the body at intervals along the length thereof,rockers engaging the rails, an arched cover for the ladle, beamsextending across the top of the cover connecting opposite ends of therails, said cover having charging holes therein, and casting surroundingeach charging hole rigidly connecting two of said beams.

6. In a hot metal mixer, a ladle supported for tipping comprised of ashell and a lining, said ladle having an elongated body portion which issubstantially semi-circular in cross section below the longitudinal axisthereof, rails encircling the body at intervals along the lengththereof, rockers engaging the rails. an arched cover for the ladle,beams extending across the top of the cover connecting opposite ends ofthe rails,'saidcover having charging holes therein, a castingsurrounding each charging hole rigidly connecting two of said beams, andstructural bracing members between the beams rigidly connecting themtogether.

7. In a hot meta-l mixer, for tipping comprised of a shell and a lining,said ladle having an elongated body portion which is substantiallysemi-circular in cross section below the longitudinal axis thereof,rails encircling the body at intervals along the length thereof, rockersengaging the rails, an arched cover for the ladle, beams extendingacross the top of the cover connecting opposite ends of the rails, saidcover having charging holes therein, a casting surrounding each charginghole rigidly connecting two of said beams, and roof ties extendingacross the top of the ladle and secured to each side of the shellthereof for putting the arched cover under strain.

8. In a hot metal mixer for the mixing and storing of at least severalhundred tons of molten metal, a foundation, rockers carried on thefoundation, an elongated ladle carried on the rockers the lower portionof which is substantially cylindrical in transverse cross-section, saidladle having a covered top, said ladle having a charging opening in thetop thereof at each side of the transverse center of the receptacle, anda single pouring spout at one side of the receptacle approximatelymidway between the two charging openings whereby metal may be chargedinto opposite ends of the mixer and flow from each end toward thecenter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LEE E. ALLEN.

a ladle supported

